by Traci Sek
"Emily." I looked up to see Jake. He's crouched down with me rubbing the sides of my arms. My breath hitched in my throat as I started to sob, crashing into him. He hugged me while slowly rubbing my back.
"What happened?" He slowly lifted me up so we were face to face as he reached behind him with one arm and pressed a button that I couldn’t see.
"You- you didn't answer!" I sobbed into his shoulder.
"Shh, it's ok, calm down. I'm here now. I was in a meeting and was just about to text you back."
"I asked that awful secretary in the design office to tell me what floor you were on... and she said I didn't deserve to know and ...she storms off leaving me alone in a dark office." He pulled me away from his shoulder to look at him. His eyes were fuming with anger.
"She said that to you?" He wiped my tears from my eyes with the pads of his thumbs as I swayed a little which caused me to grab onto him tighter. The dizziness was back.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm just dizzy. I didn’t eat, I was too consumed by figuring everything out.”
"You didn't eat?"
I shook my head avoiding eye contact. Again, I felt stupid for not even realizing to take a break or eat.
"Emily." He paused and whatever he was going to say seemed to change. The elevator doors opened and he pulled me out by my hand.
"You need to eat now." I didn't argue. I noticed we were on an empty floor that didn’t look like the lobby I had seen earlier. This floor had grayish carpet and wooden walls. It opened up revealing a large white marble desk in which a woman sat at, typing away at a sleek black laptop. A small water fountain was to her right.
“Greta. Order some food please for two."
"Yes, Mr. Williams." She's on the phone in a second without even looking our way. I'm in awe. We continued walking through a set of double wooden doors that opened up into the most gorgeous space I had ever seen. Once again, the whole back half of the office was lined with curved glass windows. In front, sat a large cherry oak desk scattered with papers. It was complete with a leather swivel chair. A black leather couch sat adjacent to the desk. The floors were a Grayish laminate and two single black leather chairs were on the opposite side of the couch.
"This is my office. It's on the 9th floor. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier. My dad is on the floor above me. I've been swamped with meetings all day and haven't eaten myself."
He looked at me with deep regret and I desperately wished to know what he was thinking.
"Sit and make yourself comfortable. The food will arrive shortly. I just have a few more things to wrap up and I will take you home."
"Ok." I do as he says and I can't help but stare as he sits at his desk. He's not the Jake I know at home. He is strictly business. His forehead creased as he's slightly bent over reading a paper from his desk. Although I liked this sexy sophisticated look, I liked his playful charming side much better.
The food arrived and the smell instantly made my mouth water. Two full bags that said Italian Bistro on the side are placed on a table I hadn't noticed earlier. The man quickly took out the plastic containers filled with food and aligned it on a plate. He then grabbed a small table and placed it in front of me. The man placed the dish on the table with silverware wrapped in a fancy napkin. He did the same for Jake but on his desk.
I stared at the mouth-watering chicken breast with a side of twice baked potatoes and fresh sautéed green beans, perfectly aligned on my plate.
"Do you like it? It's from my favorite restaurant, one of my favorite dishes."
"It looks absolutely amazing, but how did that lady know? You didn't tell her anything."
He chuckled. "I get the same thing almost every day if it changes, I let her know."
"Wow. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Silence ensued as we both ate. The juicy lemon and cilantro flavors exploded in my mouth. I had to keep reminding myself to eat slow and proper so I didn’t make a fool out of myself. Once my stomach felt full enough and the dizziness subsided, I pushed the table away and walked over to Jake. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and I could instantly feel him relax. I loved that my touch had that effect on him.
"Please don't skip a meal like that again."
"I'm sorry, I just want to fit in so badly. Your sister gave me this project that she wants on her desk by tomorrow morning. I just went into panic mode."
"Fitting in will take time, don't rush it. Were you able to finish?"
"Just about. I have a few more things to place before I'm satisfied with it." I unwrapped my arms from around his shoulders as he pushed his chair out slightly, pulling me down onto his lap. He gave me a kiss on the lips this time but I didn't let it go any further. I placed my forehead on his, which made his eyes flutter closed.
"Why are people so cruel?" I whispered. He was silent for a few minutes as he shifted from my forehead to my neck.
"I wish I knew."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jake
"Are you ashamed of me?" She asked out of the silence that had engulfed us. I snapped my head up to look at her with wide eyes.
"No. Why would you think that?" She looked away for a minute, fidgeting with her fingers. She looked back at me, her eyes glossy.
"Earlier you kissed me on the cheek. I thought you were embarrassed by me."
I mentally smacked myself for being such an idiot.
"No way! I only did that because I wasn't sure how you felt about public affection."
She kept silent. "I will kiss you in front of everyone and I will kiss you in front of the world. I don't care who sees it." I watched a smile creep onto her beautiful face, which created my own lips to curve up. Her smile ignited a fire within me, burning every inch of me.
I placed my hand on her waist slightly squeezing it. Quite frankly I loved touching every inch of her. It made me feel warm inside and happy. Everything about her made me happy and it was something I never wanted to let go of. I couldn’t believe I almost screwed it up earlier by kissing her on the cheek.
"I'm going to have that woman fired for treating you that way. She messed with the wrong person. I don't tolerate bullying in my company."
"No! Please don't do that! It's almost Christmas, and besides, I'll be hated even more! Just give her a second chance. I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. You and I both know that there is always a story behind the behavior."
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Always find kindness in the ones who treat you so poorly."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't always feel kindness, it's just the right thing to do."
I kissed her on the lips this time making sure she knew I was definitely not afraid. This woman was always teaching me how to be a better person.
"In fact, I still feel hate. Hate for the ones who ruined my childhood. Hate for the one who took my mother away from me. I know my father was an alcoholic and he grew up beaten by his father. That’s all he knew. But I can’t forgive him. What he did was inexcusable.”
She got up abruptly and started to head towards the door. I quickly got up and grabbed her by the arm to stop her. I engulfed her from behind and tried to let her emotions and frustration seep into me. I felt her body relax as she turned in my embrace.
“It’s normal to feel that way about someone who did terrible things to you. You survived though and because of it you are a stronger woman. You are able to forgive people who wronged you, which is something I can’t do no matter how hard I try.”
She pulled her head off my shoulder and looked at me. She nodded in response and wiped away her tears. "How do you do it?" She asks me this time. I smile at her and give her the same response she gave me. "Do what?"
"Always know the right words to say to make me feel better." I simply shrug my shoulders.
"My mother always knew the right words to say. I must have gotten that from her." My heart started to hurt a little from that memory.
"Can you tell me mor
e about her?" I took a deep breath. I know it was time I opened up to her. She needed to know. I trusted her as much as I hoped she trusted me.
"Let's go home first and get comfortable, then I'll try my best." I give her a half-smile and head towards the door gesturing for her to follow.
***
We walked to our rooms to change and now we were sitting on my bed. Her head rested on my chest. I was sure she could feel the rapid heartbeat from the nervousness I was feeling.
"You don't have to tell me if you’re not ready." She simply says.
"It's ok. I probably won’t ever be ready. She was a wonderful woman, an amazing mom, an amazing wife. There was never a mean bone in her body. She always made time for each one of us no matter how busy she was. She would drop what she was doing like it didn't even matter to help one of us."
"She sounds amazing." I tried not to cry at her statement.
“She was. I remember one time my dad had her running like a mad woman, back when he first started this company. I needed help on a school project and literally the phone was ringing off the hook. She stopped what she was doing, looked at me and then back at the phone, smiled at me, and said screw it.” I chuckled remembering her face. “She took the phone off the hook and sat down with me. She helped me for hours. My dad was furious but she didn’t care. Her kids came first, everything else could wait.”
I felt a hot tear escape the corner of my eye as I quickly swiped it away.
“What happened?”
I knew what she was asking. I closed my eyes and continued my story.
“I was playing video games like any other day. I loved playing Kingdom Hearts. I was obsessed with it and I loved the fact that I could play it all by myself because my brother and sister had their own things that they loved. They weren't home that day, it was just me and my mom. She was cooking lunch, grilled cheese to be exact because I begged her for it. She made the best grilled cheese you could ever have. Call me crazy but to me anything she made was special.”
I looked away trying to keep my breathing even as I continued my story. Emily reached over and grabbed my hand giving me an encouraging smile that momentarily paralyzed me.
“I heard this commotion like my mom had dropped something. It made me pause for a minute but when I heard nothing else I just kept playing.”
I shook my head as the tears began to fall. A small chill washed over me.
“I heard her voice but it sounded strangled almost like a cry for help except she was telling me to do the opposite, to run. I was confused so I decided to pause my game and as I was standing up I heard this pop sound and it made my ears ring. It scared the hell outta me. Once my ears stopped ringing, I ran to the kitchen-”
At this point, I was full out sobbing. Uncontrollable ugly crying making my heart skip beats.
“Shhh. It’s ok Jake.” I feel Emily's warm hand wrap around my neck pulling me into her. Why did this hurt so much? She rubbed the back of my head just like my mom used to do which sent a calming signal to my brain. I could almost feel the hurt radiating between us both feeding off of each other like electricity. I knew her pain was just as strong. When I felt I had a better grip on myself I pulled away rubbing vigorously at my eyes. I cleared my throat as I continued.
“Anyway, I managed to call 911. I sat next to her but the whole time she didn't respond to me. No matter what I said she was just lifeless, unmoving. I begged her and God to just make noise but she never did. Everything after that is a blur.”
“What about the hospital issue?”
“We followed closely behind the ambulance and we watched as they rushed her past the double doors but they wouldn't allow us through. She never came back out. Only the doctor did, giving us the worst news possible.”
“So you feel that if you pass those doors you won’t come back?”
“I don’t know, I never really thought about it. It just- I guess reminds me of her. I'm afraid if I pass those doors I'll get flooded with all these awful memories again. It’s hard. Hell, I couldn't even play video games after that day. Everything that day changed for me. And as my family I'm sure has told you, I haven't been the same since. The only real reason I’m in therapy is because I tried at one point to kill myself. But my dad intervened.”
“Well, I’m glad he did because I would have never met you and who knows where I would have been now.”
My heart swelled at that comment but I can’t seem to respond. I was drained and exhausted. She must have sensed this as she looked up at me.
"I think that's enough for tonight. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."
I’m grateful that Emily didn’t ask much more. The pain I had felt in my chest was almost too much to bear. She kisses me, rolls over, and turns out the light.
Chapter Thirty
Jake
I woke up the next morning to the sound of someone vomiting. I glanced around to the other half of the bed, but it was empty. I shot up in a sitting position and grabbed my watch that read six a.m. It was Christmas eve and our annual party was tonight. My bathroom door was shut, making me jump out of bed and walk to the door.
“Emily? Are you ok?” I didn't get a response as the toilet flushed and the door swung open revealing a disheveled looking Emily.
“I don’t think the food last night agreed with me.” She mumbled as she slumped into my chest. I rubbed her shoulders for a moment before guiding her back to bed.
“You need to rest, I’ll tell Ashley you can’t make it.”
“No! I’m fine. It will pass. I think I got it all out.”
“Are you sure you look a bit pale.”
She hummed in response and laid back down on the pillow.
"Alright. If you aren't better by the time I'm dressed then you won’t go. I don’t want you overworked or spreading it to anyone else.”
No response. I called Aida and asked for crackers and ginger ale before jumping into the shower. Opening the door, I noticed Emily was no longer laying down and Aida was removing my sheets.
“You have one determined little girl downstairs waiting for you,” Aida said, not looking at me.
“Just be careful not to get what she has.” She simply laughed and walked out of the room. I followed close behind her descending the stairs. Emily stands at the front door in a black slim dress, heels, and a peacoat. Her hair is in a simple ponytail, making her collar bones stick out. My body tingles at the sight. She was smoking hot in that outfit and I did all I could not to grab her waist and ravish her.
My lips found hers along with my hands that found their way around her torso. “You look amazing today. Are you sure you are feeling alright?”
“Yes. I drank a whole can of ginger ale and a few crackers. I feel brand new.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Now let's go! I have a bunch to do for a couple people before your ridiculous deadline.” She smirked at me and turned towards the door.
“Hold up my deadlines?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes. Your sister told me yesterday that you never give them enough time to finish anything. Then I realized that’s why all the employees are so awful. They are constantly stressed.” She shrugged nonchalantly. I couldn’t say I wasn’t totally turned on by this new Emily, because that would have been a big fat lie. I loved this feisty side of her and I wanted more.
“Well then we will just have to do something about that now won’t we?” I grabbed her waist a little more forcefully and kissed the exposed area of her neck. I felt her shiver as her head leaned back onto my shoulder. She quickly pulled back though and turned to me.
“No distractions mister.”
Simply smirking, I walked past her and opened the door. “Whatever you say, babe.”
Work went by slowly as there were no meetings. Just endless amounts of paperwork to read and go through. In order not to bother Emily, I made sure lunch was sent to her to avoid last night's shenanigans. I couldn’t stop my mind from
racing when I thought of that secretary treating her badly. I clenched my fists a few times before deciding to pay a visit.
Making my way down to the design floor, I went over the words that Emily had said last night and this morning. Was it true that my employees were miserable? That still was no excuse to treat people unfairly. I made a mental note to have a word with my sister later. Once the elevator doors slid open, I was instantly greeted by Lisa.
"Mr. Williams! How can I help you?" I did all I could not to give her an attitude. She was on my shit list.
"Where's Emily?" Her fake smile faltered for a second. Yeah, that’s right.
"She went home for the day sir."
Went home? Without me? What was going on?
"Did she say why?"
“She just said she wasn’t feeling the greatest. That was after lunch was delivered.” An evil smirk danced on her face. “I tried to tell her she would lose her job and you would be angry if she left but she just insisted. It’s like she doesn’t care. I know how you feel about careless employees sir.”
“Oh do you now?” I stepped closer to her towering over her. I almost felt bad for her. She didn’t move but took a gulp.
“Next time you want to do my job for me, make sure you know who it is you are talking to. You’re very lucky you still have a job. I heard what you did to my girlfriend last night and let me make one thing clear to you.” Her face paled and a look of utter shock covered her face. “I do not tolerate bullying in my company. So watch your tongue because you are on thin ice.” I didn’t give her a chance to respond, instead I turned on my heel and left.
After finishing everything for the day, I headed home and immediately ran to the pool house to Emily. I never realized how much I missed her when she wasn’t around me and how much I thought of her. I tried to push open her door but it didn't budge. It's locked. What the?
"Emily." I knocked trying to contain my anger that was slowly rising. Why all of a sudden was she locking her door? Was she avoiding me? Did I do or say something wrong?